Highest Award Girl Scouts
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Meet our local changemakers
Every Girl Scout goes above and beyond to make a difference in her community and the greater world. The skills and experiences Girl Scouts gain while earning their Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award set them up for success in careers and life.
All three awards give girls the chance to do big things while supporting issues they care about.
Gold Award Girl Scouts 
Camryn
Purrfect Pause
Camryn created a calming study room where students could interact with cats at Itineris High School. These cats were rescued from euthanasia lists by Angle Paws. The space provided students with comfort and companionship, helping ease stress and anxiety while they focused on their academic responsibilities.
The project promoted emotional well-being, responsible animal care, and the benefits of animal interactions. It also supported cat adoption by connecting rescued cats with potential loving homes. Through this project, Camryn created a lasting impact on her school community by supporting both student wellness and animals in need.
Iris
SkillSwap: Individuals on the Autism Spectrum Share Their Skills
Iris addressed low self-esteem and mental health challenges among individuals on the autism spectrum. She created a website where participants could share their skills and hobbies through instructional videos, positioning them as experts and teachers rather than individuals in need of support.
Project Links
Katelyn H
Empowering Young Musicians Through Private Lessons
Katelyn educated students and parents about the benefits of private music instruction. She highlighted how private lessons provide individualized support, reinforce proper technique, and allow students to develop their musical skills year-round beyond what school programs can offer.
To address this need, Katelyn created and distributed a list of private music teachers through local music shops, libraries, and schools. She also partnered with a local middle school to develop a multi-week after-school program that helped students strengthen their musical abilities.
Through her project, Katelyn increased awareness of private music instruction and supported student growth while contributing to the overall quality of the school’s orchestra program.
Katelyn T
Worry Monsters
Katelyn addressed anxiety among students in grades K–6 by providing tools to support emotional regulation, communication, and stress management.
She created 25 handmade “worry monsters” with the help of her sisters and other volunteers to help children express and manage their worries. Katelyn partnered with Andrea Bruster, a school counselor in the Davis School District, who used the worry monsters with students over several months. The counselor then shared feedback on how the tools helped the children.
Through her project, Katelyn provided a creative, comforting resource to help young students navigate anxiety and build healthy coping skills.
Marianne
Paws + Preparedness
Marianne addressed the impact of wildfires on animals displaced from their homes and natural habitats.
She raised community awareness about the challenges animals face during wildfires and educated pet owners on preparing emergency kits to support their animals’ health and well-being for several days. Marianne also assembled emergency kits containing essential supplies for animals during disasters. She distributed these kits to fire stations throughout Davis County so they would be readily available during emergency situations.
Through her project, Marianne helped promote animal preparedness, community awareness, and the protection of pets during natural disasters.
Samantha
Swim Safely
Samantha educated children and families about the importance of water safety and preventing accidental drownings.
She partnered with a local elementary school to teach students how to swim and play safely in and around water. To extend the project’s impact, Samantha encouraged students to share what they learned with their parents, helping start important conversations about water safety at home. She also created educational resources for parents to learn practical ways to protect their children around water.
Through her project, Samantha promoted early water safety education and empowered families with knowledge to help prevent drowning incidents.
Senya
Adaptive Robotics Program
Senya addressed the underrepresentation of individuals with disabilities in STEM by creating an inclusive robotics program for students and young adults with intellectual disabilities.
Using the FIRST LEGO League Challenge program, participants built and programmed LEGO robots with guidance from high school FIRST Robotics mentors. Teams worked from September through November, developing problem-solving skills, creativity, and confidence before presenting their work at a showcase. The event celebrated participants’ accomplishments while raising awareness about the importance of accessible STEM opportunities.
Through this project, Senya helped create an environment where individuals with intellectual disabilities could explore their interests, develop new skills, and experience the excitement of robotics.
Silver Award Girl Scouts
Bronze Award Girl Scouts
Previous Highest Award Projects
See the impact made by previous Highest Award Girl Scouts below and, for current Girl Scouts, get inspiration for your own Highest Award project.
2025 Gold Award Girl Scouts
Charlotte
Wild to Mild
Passionate about horses since childhood, Charlotte attended horse camps at Trefoil Ranch. At 14, she bought her own wild horse and has trained several since. After discovering a lack of awareness about wild horses in the United States, Charlotte took the initiative to educate others.
Many people didn’t know wild horses still existed or the challenges they face, so Charlotte included resources and a survey in her pamphlets. She shared them on social media and community outlets to maximize her reach.
Project Links
Elizabeth
Diabetes Isn't a Death Sentence: Making Youth Activities Open for T1D Children
Having lived with Type 1 Diabetes for around ten years, Elizabeth saw a need for awareness and education.
To increase public awareness, Elizabeth created educational videos about Type 1 Diabetes. These videos were distrubuted to every Girl Scout council in the United States, providing Type 1 Diabetes training opportunities for leaders, counselors, and other adults working with youth.
Project Links
Katelyn
Find Your Bearings
Katelyn’s love for the outdoors inspired her to create a compass course at a youth camp named Camp Haven. The course consists of seven routes with varied difficulty through flat and forested terrain.
Katelyn’s goal was to provide a challenging and immersive experience for youth that would promote collaboration and thinking skills, lessen the desire to be on a phone, and teach them how to use a compass.
Sydnee
Oh No! A Disaster
For her gold award project "Oh No! A Disaster", Sydnee focused on promoting emergency preparedness.
During weekly presentations in a local elementary school for 5th and 6th graders, Sydnee talked about the natural disasters that occur in Utah and all over the world. She worked with the classes to create their own first aid kits and encouraged them to talk about preparedness bags with their family.
Project Links
2025 Silver Award Girl Scouts
2025 Bronze Award Girl Scouts
2024 Gold Award Girl Scouts
Alani
Unwind
When Alani started public school at age 15 in the fall of 2021, she noticed that many of her peers struggled with anxiety. To cope with her own stress, she turned to fiber arts as a calming activity. This inspired her to create "UNWIND," a program that teaches school-aged children mindfulness through crochet.
She provided crochet kits, taught kids how to crochet, and trained social workers in local elementary schools to incorporate the practice into "calm spaces." Alani also developed a website to share crochet techniques and mindfulness tips with beginners, offering a creative tool for managing stress.
Project Links
Elizabeth
The Book Fairy
For her Gold Award project, Elizabeth collaborated with her local library on the "Book Fairy" program, which is sponsored by the Friends of the American Fork Library. This initiative provides age-appropriate books to all first-grade students in American Fork, encouraging them to visit the library and develop a love for reading.
Elizabeth enhanced the program by recruiting volunteers and creating additional resources to support its growth, ensuring that more children could benefit from the joy of reading.
Project Links
Ella
The Effects of Pollution
Ella's passion for marine life led her to work with Chelonia, a turtle conservation center in Puerto Rico, where she helped educate the community about reducing pollution to protect the ocean's ecosystem. She delivered presentations to students at schools across the island, created a brochure and video, and launched a petition to spread awareness.
Her efforts reached over 100 people in person and many more online, teaching them about the three main types of pollution affecting Puerto Rico—microplastics, light pollution, and ocean acidification—and offering solutions to help mitigate these issues. Her work demonstrated that small changes can make a big impact.
Project Links
- The Effects of Pollution Presentation (PDF)
- The Effects of Pollution Brochure (PDF)
- Educational Video (YouTube)
Elora
The Cultural Education Project
Noticing a lack of respect for other cultures in her community, especially among children, Elora took action by organizing a seven-week after-school workshop for elementary students. Each week, different teachers shared their experiences living abroad, introducing the students to a variety of cultures.
The kids learned basic phrases in languages like Spanish, German, Mandarin, and Hindi, sampled international foods, and played games from around the world. The program aimed to help the children appreciate the diversity of the world and understand the importance of respecting all people.
Project Links
Hannah
Saving Satos, Saves Us
Hannah's annual visits to Puerto Rico made her aware of the growing stray dog population and the health risks it poses. Concerned for both the animals and the community, she educated the public about the diseases spread by stray dogs and their impact on human health.
Hannah gathered signatures from across the island to support her petition for creating an animal control program. She presented her proposal to the Puerto Rican government, advocating for funds to be directed toward the health and management of stray dogs.
Her efforts continue to promote a healthier environment for both humans and animals in Puerto Rico.
Project Links
- Hannah's project video, available in Spanish.
Isabella
Preventing Intimate Partner Abuse Through Education
For her Gold Award project, Isabella created a curriculum on intimate partner abuse for high school students in Portuguese language immersion programs. The curriculum covers warning signs of unhealthy relationships and ways men can help prevent domestic violence, including advocating for women, challenging toxic masculinity, and rejecting violent behavior.
Isabella collaborated with victim advocates, domestic violence experts, and curriculum specialists Lily Bueno and Silvia Juhas to develop the program. Her work has been featured on podcasts, presentations, and panels, including the International Portuguese Conference at Duke University.
Project Links
- Podcast interview with You and Voting
- Website with resources
- Isabella's educational presentation
Isabelle
Bee Aware
For her Gold Award project, Isabelle engaged the community to raise awareness about effective and simple solutions to support bee populations. Inspired by her love of the outdoors and environmental stewardship, she organized educational workshops at the Ogden Nature Center, where participants engaged in hands-on activities like building bee houses and creating seed bombs.
Additionally, she implemented a pollinator garden to enhance food availability in underprivileged communities, particularly for refugee populations. Her project positively impacted over 200 people.
Through this experience, Isabelle developed leadership skills, coordinated team efforts, and learned to adapt in the face of challenges.
Project Links
- Bee Aware pamphlet (PDF)
- Additional bee resources (PDF)
Kassandra
Beginning to See
Kassandra's project focuses on informing Utah parents and guardians about the importance of eye exams for infants. While there are plenty of resources available, the main challenge is that many parents are unaware of the need to look for eye care.
This initiative included updates to the Baby Your Baby website, informative pamphlets, a video, and social media posts aimed at raising awareness. Children should receive a comprehensive eye exam before their first birthday, and organizations like InfantSee offer free eye exams for children aged 6 to 12 months. Early detection of eye or vision problems in infants can lead to effective correction or treatment.
Project Links
- Educational brochure (PDF)
- Video presentation (YouTube)
- See Baby Your Baby website where Kassandra's project information is included.
Kate
Kope with Kate
Kate has struggled with depression. On March 24, 2022, she felt overwhelmed and attempted suicide. Immediately regretting her decision, she ran to her mom, who took her to the hospital where she was placed on suicide watch. Although her hospital stay was an unpleasant experience, she did develop a positive relationship with her therapist.
Through this experience, Kate learned that pain is temporary, and that suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Inspired by her journey, she created a website for others who feel as she did. She shares her struggles to show that they are not alone and provides coping skills that she struggled to find herself.
This website offers everyone a chance to seek help when they feel hopeless, with the goal of giving them hope when they believe there is none.
Project Links
Savannah
Creative Writing Club
After discovering that her school would no longer offer a creative writing class, Savannah took the initiative to create a club. She developed a comprehensive curriculum for future club presidents and engaged club members in hosting an elementary and middle school club.
Additionally, Savannah organized five workshops at the library and two schools, involving club members in four of those sessions. She also produced an informative booklet on creative writing, distributing 107 copies.
Throughout her Gold Award Project, Savannah honed her skills in effective communication with diverse audiences and relished the opportunity to witness club members develop a passion for volunteering and writing.
Project Links
2024 Silver Award Girl Scouts
2024 Bronze Award Girl Scouts
2023 Gold Award Girl Scouts
Abigail
Recycle Remix: Implementing Mixed Recycling in Canyons School District
Abigail educated students, faculty, and staff in the Canyons School district about the importance of recycling and how to correctly recycle paper, plastic, and aluminum. She delivered the information via social media, a website, video, and posters displayed throughout the schools.
A five-month pilot program at Midvalley Elementary, Midvale Middle, and Hillcrest High proved effective at each school and lead to a meeting with district officials. Abigail presented a plan to implement mixed recycling at all schools in the Canyons District that was approved; the district had a new contract written up with the recycling companies. Now each school in Canyons, which includes more than 50 schools, 2,000 employees, and 34,000 students, will participate in mixed recycling.
Project Links
- Recycling video (Google Drive)
- Recycle Remix website
- Instagram: @recycleremix
Arianna
Increasing Monarch Butterfly Habitat & Awareness
To support Monarch butterflies in Utah, Arianna built a website with free educational resources for teachers and the general public. She met with teachers, created coloring sheets, developed lesson plans, and researched and sorted resources for the website.
Noting there weren’t many resources specific to the state, Arianna made sure to include a Utah focus in the lessons so teachers could provide a local tie for students in an effort to support Monarch habitats. Arianna also worked with professionals in the Monarch research field and sourced a free milkweed seed provider to further support the project and the local butterfly populations.
While Arianna met and overcame setbacks with her project, she’s very happy with the end product, especially given her love of STEM and animals. She also learned how to be a leader and work with a team in the process.
Project Links
Christine
Passion into Action - Early Career Development
In an effort to reduce student stress during college application and job interview processes, Christine created a guide to help students of all ages identify their passions early. She researched and developed practical tools, including a timeline and suggestions for summer activities and extracurricular clubs and organizations.
Christine also contributed to a career clothing drive for students, communicated with hundreds of students, and inspired teachers and counselors. She even got administrators to incorporate project ideas that would give students a head start in career planning.
Through her Gold Award project, Christine learned to communicate with adults in different leadership positions and discovered the value in being respectful. Thanks to her hard work, students now have better tools to identify their passions, direct their patch, and be more prepared for their futures.
Destinee
B.O.O.M. (Bang Out Our Music)
Destinee created B.O.O.M. (Bang Out Our Music) pipes for elementary music teachers from 3-4” PVC pipes. She cut, sanded, tuned, and added caps to the ends to create the musical pipes.
For supplies, Destinee asked various plumbing and hardware stores for donations and then requested donations from the community for a garage sale to raise additional funds. Though she met her fundraising goal, the caps needed to finish the project were on backorder and took months to arrive. Plus, each pipe had to be tuned accurately and sanded down to ensure the correct note.
Destinee took the delay and tuning issues in stride, working on her patience in the process. Once all supplies were ready, she was able to build, deliver, and teach the elementary students and music teachers how to use the pipes.
Project links
- Video teaching students how to B.O.O.M (YouTube)
- Video showing teachers how to B.O.O.M. (YouTube)
Emily
Preventing Pets from Dying of Smoke Inhalation
With her Gold Award project, Emily sought to educate pet owners about fire safety with a handout and short animated video. She partnered with the Draper Fire Station to provide her video for station tours and O2 masks from Project Breathe for pets. With proper equipment, firefighters can get faster care to those pets who’ve inhaled smoke.
Emily also worked with various pet-centered businesses that'll print and continuously distribute the flyer to customers. By educating pet owners, they’ll be more cautious of fire hazards and make more informed decisions.
Project Links
- Animated video (Google Drive)
- Safety handout (PDF)
Erin
Increasing Pedestrian Safety
Erin and her mom noticed a roundabout with dangerous crosswalks when they first moved to their town. The intersection has poor visibility and often has traffic, accidents, and near-accidents occur. Plus, the town is frequented by tourists who may not know how to properly use the roundabout or who must use the crosswalks to reach the transit center.
Erin worked closely with the county government to install flashing crosswalk beacons at two of the crosswalks that connect Walmart and the transit center. She put out several surveys and petitions to involve the community, completed two radio interviews, and presented to the county council, which provided full support and funding for the project.
Project Links
- August 2022 radio interview (KPCW)
- May 2023 radio interview (KPCW)
- County Council presentation (YouTube)
- County Council feedback (YouTube)
Katelynn
Flag Rescue
Katelynn noticed a lack of knowledge and resources around the American flag regarding care and retirement of old flags, so she hosted multiple events to teach flag code and when to retire a flag. Katelynn built a website to distribute this information online and created a pledge for people to sign after learning about flag retirement and care. In the pledge, signers agree to continue to care for and respect the flag and retire it when the time comes.
In an effort to provide resources for retiring flags, Katelynn coordinated with local cities and business to install Flag Retirement Boxes. These boxes allow members of the community to drop off flags that need to be retired, and local troops and the American Legion will take care of retiring each one properly. Through her project, Katelynn improved her communication skills and learned that she can make an impact.
Project link
Mabelle
You and Voting
After feeling anger, fear, and hopelessness when catching up on the news in recent years, Mabelle decided to take action to become empowered and feel like her voice mattered. She created a website full of voter education resources, instructions on voter registration, as well as information on the system of voting in Utah and the U.S. Her goal is to provide young people encouragement for the future and resources to make a difference in their communities.
Mabelle collaborated with experts in Social Studies and Civic Engagement to create educational podcasts for her website. Notably, her project gained recognition, reaching Social Studies educators statewide through the Utah Board of Education newsletter. Beyond statistics and outreach, Mabelle's profound achievement lies in personal connections—engaging high schoolers and young adults, emphasizing their voices and potential for community impact.
Project link
Samantha
Adopt-a-Grave
Samantha comes from a military family: mom served in the Army and grandpa in the Air Force. After attending Wreaths Across America events at the Fort Douglas cemetery each winter since she was a Brownie, Samantha decided to connect with and honor those resting in the cemetery beyond the annual visits.
For several weeks, Samantha brought volunteers together to lay flowers on graves and learn more about the person they were honoring. What started as an effort to raise awareness about the cemetery turned into a way to connect with the soldiers and supporters who served their country. Samantha used social media and worked with volunteers, donors, and museum staff to raise awareness and support connection.
Shayla
Power off - Fun on!
Shayla created a program and hosted 20 related minicamps in an effort to get kids off screens during summer break. The program teaches kids skills they can use throughout summer and, hopefully, their lives. The classes included chalk art, rock painting, sketching, embroidery, solo D&D, card games, cardboard crafts, clay creations, friendship bracelets, and mosaic art. Shayla received hundreds of donations from her community, which were put into kits for participants to take home.
Shayla also created a website for kids who couldn't attend her classes in person and for those who need a quick refresher on a skill. The website is unique in that the videos are programmed to stop after each video (with no ads) so that kids don't spend more time online going down YouTube rabbit holes. At the end of each video, Shayla encourages them to get off the computer and go practice their new skills. Shayla was recognized by the Spanish Fork City Council for running this program and making a significant difference in her community.
Project link
2023 Silver Award Girl Scouts
2023 Bronze Award Girl Scouts
2022 Gold Award Girl Scouts
Alli's project “Safe Haven" created a relaxing area for those brought to the Children’s Justice Center to read, draw, or sit before interviews. The Children's Justice Center is dedicated to solving family-related problems, and Alli’s safe haven area offers a bright spot during an often frightening time. After learning so much about the Children’s Justice Center, she found ways to inform the community as well via interviews with KPCW radio and TownLift Paper.
After painting the furniture and organizing the donated books, including coloring books, the “Safe Haven” area was ready to launch. Alli held a grand opening event that about 30 people attended. She also assisted in providing tours so those folks could learn about the Children’s Justice Center and her newly created area. Alli said the project was the perfect outlet because she’s always felt a connection with community service and helping others.
Eliza started “Together We Grow” after learning about Live Empowered, an organization that supports disabled adults with work and social experiences suited to their abilities. Live Empowered previously had an underutilized backyard with unlevel dirt, rocks, and weeds. Due to the state of the yard, BBQs were held in the parking lot, which was neither spacious nor convenient. Eliza set a goal to build a safe backyard and increase community awareness. Now, clients at Live Empowered have an outdoor space better suited to them and a youth group committed to coming every year.
Lacey founded EntreprenHER, a club centered around young women wanting to get into entrepreneurship. It is meant to cultivate a safe space where like-minded young women can interact and encourage each other to reach their full potential. EntreprenHER invites women-led businesses to speak with the club members about their business and the process of getting it going. This helps formulate ideas and get into the grit of what being a woman in business is like. This was an important project to Lacey because she feels it is important to support and provide resources for women to go into business. The speaker and club are displayed on a website that club members help put together.
Lanie got the idea for her project “Wildlife Water Reservoir” after noticing erosion and lack of water creating problems for wildlife in her community. The erosion decreases the native plants, so wildlife must cross streets to find water and often end up getting hit. Lanie worked with Summit Land Conservancy and several volunteers on the project. With materials donated by Park City Municipal, they worked together to build several rock structures that will prevent the soil from eroding away and allow pools of water to last longer into the dry season.
Through her project, Lanie was able to reduce erosion and retain water longer, as well as inform the community so other people can build the same structures in the future. Lanie learned that if you want to change something, you just have to take action.
Project Links
KPCW Radio Interview
Project Website
In the fall of 2020, a member of Relena’s color guard team got a concussion that wasn’t immediately recognized. Her teammate ended up missing several weeks of school and could not participate in color guard for over a year. Relena recognized the gap in knowledge among her team and wondered if other teams had the same issue. So, she started her project “Concussions in Color Guard” to educate others about concussions and their symptoms. Relena put out a survey to gather data and then contacted organizations overseeing color guard and reached out to nearly every color guard in Utah. Many teams submitted pledges to concussion safety. Her website “How to Color Guard” features resources about concussions and concussion safety for color guard teams and the public to reference.
Savannah sewed and donated 500 medical play dolls to Primary Children’s hospital as part of her project “Surgery Sammys.” She was inspired to do the project because of the fear experienced by her young cousin prior to a minor surgery. Doctors and nurses can demonstrate the procedure on the dolls, and the child can dress up and draw on the doll’s face.
All of Savannah’s supplies were donated from Westgate Park City, including sheets to make the body, thread, and support. The polyfill and fun fabric for the gowns were donated by other Girl Scout Troops and local organizations. Savannah created the website “How to Sew Medical Play Dolls” with directions so others can make their own dolls and even the names and contacts at hospitals in the western United States. She also took her project to the Home Economics teacher at Treasure Mountain Junior High in Park City, who added the Medical Play Dolls to her curriculum. The dolls will be made and donated twice a year as each semester ends.
When Tanya’s family moved into their new home, they discovered elevated radon levels, sparking her work on “Project Radon.” She started with a survey study on radon awareness of Salt Lake County residents in her sophomore-year AP Environmental Science class. From there, Tanya developed interventions to increase radon awareness with expert help: hosted 15 community events, taught 500 elementary students, and created a website to report radon risks by zip code. She also learned to scale up, creating a lesson plan for 300 STEM teachers and bridging the state of Utah with local firms to enhance free radon testing and consultation.
Community recognition amplified Tanya’s efforts. The Murray City Council streamed her campaign online, then it was publicized in Murray Journal, and now Tanya is an invited speaker at the 2022 International Radon Symposium in Seattle.
Project Links
Initial Research Findings (Word document)
City Council Presentation (YouTube)
Radon Presentation (PPT)
Radon Article (Word document)
Kode with Klossy Coding Summer Camp PPT 1
Kode with Klossy Coding Summer Camp PPT 2
2022 Silver Award Girl Scouts
2022 Bronze Award Girl Scouts
